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STEPHENVILLE - With ball distribution and balance serving as the very essence of a spread offense, the 2017 Stephenville football team could be used as a prime example of the concept.

Stephenville (12-2), which squares off with Kennedale (13-1) in a highly anticipated Class 4A Division I state semifinal Friday, enters this week averaging 40 points per game with nearly 6,000 total yards in 14 games.

This, despite facing what one computer power rating service lists as one of the top-10 toughest schedules among Texas Class 4A teams this year.

The trigger man: senior Easton Jones, who has connected on 163 of 266 throws for 2,718 yards and 31 touchdowns.

"Jones leads this offense and we're going to be as good as Easton is going to be on Friday nights," Stephenville coach Greg Winder said. "He's done an outstanding job with his leadership and he can throw the heck out of the ball.

"We couldn't do it without him."

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6-foot-5 Stephenville receiver Blake Aragon, shown here catching a pass during practice on 12-13-2017 has been a popular target for the Yellow Jackets.(Photo: Evan Ren/Reporter-News)

Along the way, the Yellow Jackets have scored 30 or more points in 11 of 14 games and have won eight straight contests since a 20-17 loss to Class 5A Lubbock Monterey on Oct. 6.

Matchup problems, and the increasing ability to exploit them, have seen the Yellow Jackets' grow more difficult to stop with each passing week.

This was perhaps most evident in a stunning 31-28 upset of heavily favored Argyle on Dec. 1, which saw Jones throw for 260 yards and two scores and Nowak rush for 156 and two more TDs against a defense that allowed just 15 points per game on the year.

"This has been a long time coming," Aragon said. "We've worked really hard for everyone to be in the spot they're in right now.

"(Jones) can just pick and choose whoever he wants to throw to."

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Stephenville inside receiver Gage Graham, shown here during a practice session on Dec. 13, 2017, has been a surprising shot in the arm for the Yellow Jackets since he took over for an injured teammate earlier this season.(Photo: Evan Ren/Reporter-News)

Aragon has been a popular target.

Standing in at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, Aragon hauled in nine catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns in the Argyle game. A week earlier in an area-round win over Pampa, Jones zeroed in on the senior seven times for 57 yards and another score.

"It's definitely nice seeing Blake out there or getting to hand the ball off to Krece," Jones said. "They're always making (me) look good. It's a nice blessing to have."

Graham has been a bit of a surprise, stepping in for an injured Clay Krause earlier in the year.

He reeled in nine catches for 144 yards in the Monterey loss and five catches each in wins over Wylie and Pampa, scoring touchdowns in the latter two. He has caught at least two passes in nine straight games.

"It tears defenses apart," said Graham of Stephenville's multiple options. "It makes them pick and choose who they want to cover and who they want to go after.

"When they do that, we pick who they're not going after and throw it to them or let (Nowak) run the ball the opposite way."

And it is Nowak who is often overlooked, at least by the media.

Defenders, however, are well aware of the threat posted by the 5-8, 160-pound junior, with a stat sheet that includes a rushing average of 7.6 yards per carry.

He also is a capable receiver, catching 36 Jones deliveries for 597 yards and seven scores. Nowak alone has accounted for 2,378 yards in total offense and 24 touchdowns, though he's quick to point out that he's not exactly by himself out there.

"I think all the credit goes to the offensive line," he said. "I couldn't do what I do without the way the offensive line blocks.

"They open the holes for me and I give all the credit to them."

The Stephenville-Kennedale state semifinal is slated for 5 p.m. Friday, at Arlington's AT&T Stadium.

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Stephenville QB Easton Jones looks for an open receiver during a 63-34 win over Pampa in a Class 4A DI area round game in Wichita Falls on Fri., Nov. 25, 2017.(Photo: Evan Ren/Reporter-News)